Welcome to the green decade

摘要

ONE temptation that is hard to resist when writing about the environment is the narrative of the last chance saloon - the cliche that the next summit or election is the final opportunity to avert climate or biodiversity crisis, and if it is lost, all is lost.I have written a few dispatches from the saloon and understand its appeal. The analogy is urgent and motivational, while the alternative is to point out that there is, in fact, another saloon over the horizon and that failure isn't terminal. The problem is, if you overuse an analogy, it loses its power. Especially if it isn't true.